Letter-box



No. 749,154. PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904.

G. E.' BENTON. LETTER BOX. APPLICATION FILED JULY`22, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

un" ,I

Taluonms PETERS co PHoTaLrma. vusmrfacn, u. c.

of the door detached.

UNITED STATES Patented January 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. BENTON, OF EAST HAMPTON, NEW YORK.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,154, dated January12,1904.

Application filed July-22,1903. serial No. 156,603. (No model.)

To wl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. BENTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Hampton, in the county of Suffolk and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Letter-Box, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an improved letter-box, and has for its objectto provide a simple, inexpensive, and eflcient device of this characterin which the cover of the box is extended over the mailing-orifice toform a guard and protect the letters or other mailmatter from theelements.

A further object of the invention is to construct the 'box or receptaclewith a curved top, sloping gradually from the front of the box to therear thereof, so as to form a drain, and thereby obviate the liabilityof the water flowing through the mailing-orifice and wetting orotherwise injuring the mailmatter.

A still further object is to construct a mailbox the relativedisposition of the several parts beingsuch as to render it impossible tointroduce the hand ora tool or other instrument through themailing-orifice and extract the mail-matter from the box when the dropis open, and to provide a novel form of door to facilitate thecollection of the mail.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, itbeing ununderstood that various changes in form, proportion, and vminordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of aletter-box constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the same, showing in dotted lines the position ofthe drop when open. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional viewof the pivoteddoor, and Eig. 4 is a detail perspective view Similar numerals ofreference indicate corresponding part's 1n all the figures of thedrawings.

1 designates the Inail-box, preferably rectangular inshape, as shown,and formed of metal or other suitable material, being detachably securedto a post 2 in any suitable manner, as by clips 3.

The top or cover 4 of the box is preferably in the' form of a compoundcurve, as shown, sloping from its highest point at the front of the boxto the rear thereof. By this arrangement the capacity of the box ismaterially increased and the water permitted to drain over the back ofthe box without wetting or otherwise injuring the contents thereof. Thefront portion of the top or cover is extended upwardly and forwardly ashort distance beyond the face of the box to form a guard 5,

which projects over the mailing-orifice 6 and protects the letters orother mail-matter from the rain or snow while being introduced therein.Pivotally mounted in the orifice 6 is a gravity lid or drop 7 providedwith suitable guide-plates, as shown, the offset portion 8 of the dropcompletely closing said orifice and forming a continuation of the frontface of the box, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The lid or drop is preferably disposed immediately below the cover, sothat when said drop is tilted in order to deposit the mail the weightedend 9 of the drop will be forced upwardly in close proximity to theconcave portion 10 of the top or cover, rendering it impossible tointroduce the hand or a tool through the mailing-orifice and unlawfullyextract the contents of the box.

The drop is provided with the usual knob 11 for opening the same byhand; but said drop may be opened by a foot-lever, if desired, in eitherevent the drop automatically returning to the closed position by its ownweight after being released.

The mail-box is provided with a pivoted door 12, having depending earsor lugs 13 secured thereto adapted to engage the bottom of the box andsupport said door when open, a pair of segmental plates 14, secured tothe opposite sides of the door, serving to guide the mail-matter andfacilitate the collection of-'the same.

A suitable weather-strip or deflector 15 is arranged above the door toprevent the rain or }s3now from gaining access to the interior of the0X.

By having the top of the boX made in the manner described it not onlypermits the water to drain over the back thereof, but, by reason of itspeculiar shape, increases the capacity of the box, forms a protectionfor the mailing-oritice, and materially prevents unscrupulous personsfrom removing the contents therefrom.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

A device of the class described comprising, a receptacle provided with amailing-orifice, an arched cover for said receptacle having its frontportion bent upwardly over the mailing-

